The Ties of Friendship
by Antoshi
Summary: A young and inexperienced Magician embarks on the journey of a lifetime. What he encounters along the way will forever change him.
1. Chapter 1

**The Ties of Friendship (Tentative Title)**

So this here is my very first shot (and most likely my only one) at a MapleStory fanfic. It's a story about the travel of new companions, and what happens between them as they set out toward an ultimate goal. It's also not very "game-oriented" (Such as directly naming attacks, NPC's or monsters as I notice some people do).

NOTE: Knowledgable players of MapleStory will find some factual inaccuracies in this story. I recognize them, but these were implanted to progress the storyline and make the story more interesting.

This story is currently rated "T" for some sequences of intense action, language and some violence.

**MapleStory and all therein belong to Wizet, I make no profit from this. I do, however, own the concept of this story.**

_Hello there. My name is Adel. I have written this as a record of a time when my life changed completely. You know, it is funny, how one day your life becomes forever changed. Well, that happened to me. I was once a quiet resident, on a peaceful plain known as Maple Island. My life was droll, yet complacent. It was the boring life of a young man living on his own on the countryside. That is, until I received a letter one day..._

An alarm clock rang out through a small house. A groan followed, a hand once buried under a large quilt suddenly reached out, fumbling blindly for the alarm clock on the nearby table. It was accidentally tipped over and clattered onto the floor with a loud crash. Then silence. Another groan, and a body arose from the comfort of the plush, feathery bed it once laid on. A young man with long, blond hair, stretched and yawned quite loudly. His eyes fluttered open to the dim brightness of the early morning sun, bathing him and the rest of his home in a warm, orange glow. He smacked his lips a few times before finally deciding to get up out of bed.

Standing in nothing more than his blue-striped undergarments, he weakly stumbled over to the bathroom, where he proceeded to alleviate himself, wash his face, and brush his teeth. After which, he clothed himself in an orange and black shirt, and ice blue jeans. Slipping on some leather sandals, he walked to the front door, expecting to be greeted with the familiar, morning air on his face. Strangely, though, he was greeted by a piece of paper in his face, which he proceeded to pull away to read. It was an envelope, with nothing more than his name written neatly on the front. He curiously opened it, and read the note inside.

_"Dear rookie Magician,_

_Greetings to you! My name is Grendel, the headmaster of all Magicians. If you are reading this note, it means you have been selected as one of the many other Magicians being called to the Island of Victoria for an important meeting. It is imperative that you, as a faithful Magician, come to this meeting. As much as it pains me to tell you this, you will not return home for a long time. It is recommended you dress in your Magician clothing, and bring nothing aside from yourself._

_Regards,_

_Grendel"_

He stared at the letter in disbelief. And, he read it twice, just to be sure it said what he thought it did. And indeed, it did. He dropped the note to the floor, feeling somewhat distraught. After which, he closed the door, looking at the inside of his house, for perhaps one of the last times he ever would. It saddened him to leave, because he didn't want to. Unfortunately, he knew he had to. And so, he readied himself, walking to his collection of Spellcasting and Magician books, quickly re-reading everything he had learned, before he set out on his ultimate journey...


	2. Chapter 2

With a deep sigh, he locked the door of his small home. He was dressed differently than before, looking much more like a Magician. A long, red robe with a white cloth over it draping down, a bright yellow star embroidered on the end of it. He wore a pair of soft red shoes with white socks to match, and a large, white, pointed Magician hat placed atop his head. He took a deep sigh, the high-noon sun burning brightly above him. A beautiful day, the sky was blue and picture-perfect, a sparse number of clouds hung around, drifting by slowly. He was so nervous, taking only a few steps away from his home and already feeling miles away. It wasn't long before he really was far away from his quiet house, unable to stop himself from looking back along the way.

He knocked on the door of his friendly neighbor, Sera, who was tending to her garden. She perked up once she noticed him.

"Hello there, Ms. Sera." He said, bowing his head a bit in respect.

"Hello there, yourself." She replied with a smile. "What brings you here?" She followed with a stifled chuckle. "And why are you wearing that silly outfit?" He blushed in embarrassment before replying.

"Well, uh, I have to go take a trip," He replied, "I have no other choice." Her expression turned serious and mildly saddened.

"I see. Can I do anything to help?"

"I need someone to take care of my house while I'm away. I don't want to ask too much, but--" She stopped him with a held up hand, smiling a bit as she rose to her feet.

"Say no more, I'll take care of it for you. There's no need to worry." Her smile grew, which in turn, made him smile as well. She then reached out to him and gave him a hug before he was to leave. "We'll miss you around here." She said to him, which made him feel a little more uneasy about leaving. Then, she pulled away, looking at the young man with a proud smile. "And, you do look pretty cute in that outfit." She added with a playful laugh, which only made him turn red with embarrassment.

"You do whatever it is you have to do." She said. "We'll still be here waiting for you to return one day." He nodded, confident of her support. Just then, a deep, long horn blew from far in the distance. They both turned to it. "Looks like the ship is docked in the Southperry port. You'd better go now or you'll miss it."

"I will." He said before slowly walking away from her. "And I promise I won't let you down!" He then proceeded to take off into a run, Sera watching him with pride as he left. He was determined to make it to the ship before it left. And along the way, he heard a piercing wail.

"Ohhh, my skin is gonna burn up in this awful heat!" A female voice whined.

"You could use the sun anyway, Heena!" He called out to her as he ran by. She spotted him and growled.

"Yoooou!" She shouted, angrily. "If I ever catch you, I'm gonna beat you up so bad!" He playfully stuck his tongue out at her, only to get the same back from her. "Don't come back, either!" Was the last thing he heard her shout, causing him to grin a little bit before continuing on to his destination.


	3. Chapter 3

Along the way, and in the thick of the island, he hopped over and avoided various colored snails and mushrooms along the way, who squeaked angrily at him for the surprise he gave them.

"Sorry, I'm in a hurry!" He told them, which wasn't much consolation. Nevertheless, he soon reached the town of Southperry, where he'd often buy his groceries, since it was closer than Amherst. He ran through a crowd of people, almost all of whom verbally blasted him for being so rude.

"Sorry! Sorry!!" He apologized to them all. Within mere yards of his destination, he was suddenly stopped by a large figure. A policeman.

"Well, well, where's the fire?" He asked the young man.

"There is no fire, but I really need to get on the ship before it leaves!" He replied, anxiously.

"Not before you clean up that mess you made." He said, pointing to the fruit stand he knocked over in his rush.

He hesitated. Getting on the ship was a matter of life and death. He couldn't miss it, not for anything. In a spur-of-the-moment idea, he ducked under the policeman, and dashed toward the ship like mad.

"Hey! Stop!" He shouted after him before giving chase. The young man panted fearfully, jumping up the large steps to the entrance of the ship, and quickly dashed up the gangplank.

"Hey, you! You didn't pay!" Shanks, the Captain called out after him. He quickly tossed 150 Mesos at the Captain, who took it and sighed, infuriated. "I'm the Captain, dang it! I don't deserve to be treated like this!" He said to himself before walking up the plank to the ship, closing it behind him just as the policeman got there. The loud horn was sounded, and the ship began to take off toward the new Island.

"Stoooop!" The policeman shouted at the boat, which wasn't slowing down a bit. The young man sighed in relief, ecstatic that he had not only gotten away, but made it onto the ship. Suddenly, the feeling of sadness and worry were disappearing. Watching the large Island they were approaching slowly come into view excited him, and he began to wonder just what was awaiting him there.

The ship slowly docked in a friendly little Harbor called Lith. The horn sounded loudly to signify its arrival. And, once it was docked, he was the first one off the ship, stepping down the gangplank, and onto new land. He looked at the town, bustling with life. People of every different way of life all came together in this one place, commuting with one another, not a care in the world. He walked over to an Information Booth, a friendly looking man with a black ponytail greeted him.

"Welcome to Lith Harbor, young traveler!" He said with much enthusiasm. "Do you need any help?" Without saying a word, he handed the man the letter he received. The man glanced over it, and handed it back.

"Ah, yes. You're looking for that, eh? Well, you want to go to Henesys. It's the closest town from here, but it's a bit of a trip. If time is a factor, I can sell you a ticket for an express trolley that goes there. Would you like to do that?"

"Yes, yes, I would. I need to get there and quickly as possible." He replied. "How much is it?"  
"Well, the normal fee is usually a tad expensive, but since you're new here, I'll give you a discount. How does 100 Mesos sound?"

"Deal!" He quickly replied, slapping the money down in front of him. A ticket then printed out, and the young man took it from him.

He was then escorted to a small pickup station behind the booth.

"Just wait here." He instructed. "It should be by any minute." The young man nodded, and, like clockwork, the small trolley came on by, dinging its bell before coming to a stop, and dropping its passengers off. He then stepped onto the trolley, and the conductor glanced over at him.

"Where ya headed?" The old man asked with curiosity. He handed him the ticket. "Henesys, huh!? Henesys is a great town! Got a smart-alleck for a Mayor, though." He stood there, blinking confusedly at the old man. "Ah, well, I'm sure you're not into all that politics stuff. Well, have a seat and we'll be there in no time!"

The bell was sounded, and the trolley was off. The small car gained speed pretty quickly, but it gave him a chance to soak up the sights of the new land as it sped by. Victoria Island had a very lush countryside, tall mountains loomed in the distance. As he looked at them, he was certain he saw a town on them, which was a bit of a thrill for him.

"Yep, that town on the mountains there is Perion!" The conductor spoke up, as if reading his mind.

"Wow.." He whispered to himself in amazement. He'd never seen a land so incredible. He was certain that, if within just a few minutes of what he saw was great, things were about to get much better.


	4. Chapter 4

The bell sounded again, and they were soon in the town of Henesys. He was in awe of what he was seeing. The houses, shaped like mushrooms, and the many people bustling through the peaceful, grassy lands. He noticed people talking to one another, the large market where people were buying and selling, and even noticed a couple having a picnic.

"Well, here we are." The conductor spoke up. "This is Henesys." He looked at the young man, and his expression of excitement. "I'm sure you have something important to do here, right?" The young man snapped out of his daze, and turned to the conductor.

"Yes, I do," He replied, "And thank you very much."

"My pleasure." Said the conductor, as the young man stepped off the trolley, just as another group of people boarded it. He stepped timidly into the large town, hearing the bell of the trolley behind him, and soon heading off to its next destination.

But now, he was confused. The town was so large, he had no idea where to go. He began to walk up to random people, showing them his letter and asking them where he was supposed to be, but nobody he asked knew what the letter was about. Fearful that he may be lost in a strange town, he panicked, and began running through the town, panting as he looked left and right for perhaps some sign of his destination. Suddenly, he crashed into another person at high speed, after being distracted.

"Hey, kid, watch where you're going." Came an angry voice from the person he bumped into. He looked up at the stranger. A tall, strong-looking Archer dressed in green, holding a large, yellow, pointed bow in his hand. He appeared to be no more than a few years older than him.

"I-I'm sorry." He apologized, holding his head down.

"Yeah well, you better be." The Archer replied, coldly, and walked off. He felt badly for making such a foolish mistake, picking his letter up, as well as his hat which fell off when he hit the ground. He sighed heavily, replacing his hat and began to walk off, calmly, when someone stopped him.

"Hey, you there!" A gruff voice called out to him. He turned around, to see a tall, old man with a walking stick, looking down at him. "I'd suggest you don't do anything stupid in this town." He told him, which was a bit intimidating. "So, what are you up to, bothering all my citizens like that?" He thought the old man seemed familiar, and suddenly spoke.

"Are you the smart-alleck Mayor?" He asked, remembering what the trolley conductor told him.

"What was that!?" He asked, angrily.

"I-I-I mean the Mayor?" He stuttered, fearfully. The old man snorted in annoyance.

"Yes, I am the Mayor." He replied. "And who are **you**?"

"Well, I-I got this letter in the mail." He meekly handed the old Mayor the letter, who looked it over. Then, he smiled.  
"Mm-hmm. Very good." He said, handing the letter back. "That meeting takes place in that large house over there, the City Hall." He pointed over to a mushroom-shaped house, much larger than all the others. "There you'll be briefed as to why you were brought here and given your instructions. Of course, I'll be giving the speech." He added, rather arrogantly.

"Oh, okay," He replied, unsure of what to say to that, "Well, thank you very much, Mr. Mayor." The Mayor huffed, proudly, as the young man began to walk to his new destination.


	5. Chapter 5

His hands began to sweat as he neared the big house ever so slowly. Again, he began to wonder what awaited him after he opened the door. He took a deep breath, and reached to open the door, when he realized it opened by itself.

"Welcome, young traveler." A friendly voice greeted him. He opened his eyes to see an old woman smiling to him. "You must be here for the meeting. May I see your invitation."

"Invitation?" He asked, dumbfounded. "You mean this?" He held up the letter to her, and she nodded.

"Very good. Please, step inside." As he stepped inside, he realized not only just how big it was, but just how many people were invited to this meeting. Seemingly hundreds, all dressed in clothes symbolic of their respective Classes.

"Make yourself comfortable," The old woman said to him, "The meeting will begin very shortly." He nodded, and took a seat nearby, one of the many in the large room. He looked around, curiously staring at the others, who seemed to be close to the same age as him. He felt nervous, worried he wouldn't fit in.

"Look at the Mage that just walked in." A female Thief said, though he was not aware of it. The person she was talking to, another female Thief, narrowed her eyes at the young man, and smirked ever so slightly.

"He looks pretty cute, doesn't he?" She replied, her voice very sultry and seductive. Her friend laughed a bit, however this girl didn't take her eyes off of him. In fact, she would continue to watch him, her face as serious as anyone could be. 'He has a strange radiance about him...' She thought to herself, 'Almost like he was familiar to me.' Then, she saw him about to turn his head toward her, and quickly looked away, pointing something out to her friend, so as not to grab his suspicions.

"Hi there!" A perky voice suddenly surprised the young man.

"Uh, hi." He said to the young, female Mage, as she took a seat next to him.

"So, I guess you're here cause of that letter from old **Grendel**, huh?" She asked.

"Well yeah," He replied, "Isn't that why we're all here?"

"Well, every person here was summoned by their respective Headmasters." She said, looking at a few of the other people there. "Do you know why we were brought here?"

"No... I don't." He replied, wondering if she knew the answer.

"Gee, nobody here seems to know either. That's kind of strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." He replied, distantly. He wondered why all these people would be brought her for an unknown reason. However, it would all soon become clear.

A door at the far end of the room opened, which caught everyone's attention. It was the Mayor, and the room went deafeningly quiet, as he took a stand at a large podium.

"Good evening, everyone." He spoke. "I'm not going to sit here and waste your time, because this is an important matter and only the facts need to be conveyed. Now then, you've all been summoned here, because of a crisis. Our highly reliable intelligence has reported that Balrog, the demon leader, is conspiring with his fellow demons to begin a brutal attack on the citizens of Victoria Island." Many voices began to mumble amongst each other. "I know, it sounds bad. However, you've all been gathered here, because we have much faith in you. We know that, with all of your combined strengths, you'll be able to crush Balrog and his army."

The mumbles of random voices became louder, and even more uncertain.

"Listen, I know that many of you are afraid or uncertain. So, for anyone that believes they can't go through with this, please leave now." Everyone looked around the room, checking to see who would leave. However, it turned out that no one would, as they all felt an obligation to fight, which is what they were all trained for. "Very well then. Now, we don't have a definite location of Balrog, but we understand he's been secretly traveling around a lot lately. So, in order to cover a lot of ground at once, we'll be dividing you all into groups of four, and you'll be assigned to each explore a designated area. I have your names on a list, and very shortly I'll be announcing your groups, so please ready yourselves."

There was much conversation between everyone at that point. The young man sighed deeply, the girl beside him reflecting his emotion.

"Wow, this is really serious..." She said, softly. "I guess that's why they didn't tell us anything. I'm sure a bunch of people wouldn't have even shown up if they knew before." He nodded, becoming entangled in thought. The female Thief from before looked over at him again, instigating another round of staring at the young Mage, continuing to analyze the strange vibes she felt from him. Just then, a stranger approached both of the Mages.

"Well, look who it is." The person said to the young man. He looked up, his eyes widening as he realized it was the Archer he bumped into before. "I feel sorry for whoever gets paired up with you." He gave a confident smirk, but the young man, becoming tired of the bullying Archer, frowned at him. The Archer just scoffed and calmly walked away from them. Then, the Mayor returned, and everyone went quiet once again.

"Very well, then." He announced. "As I said before, I'll be assigning your groups now. When I call your name, come up her and meet your other three partners." Almost everyone seemed to glance around the room, wondering who they'd be paired with. "Let's start with... Adel." The young man perked up when he heard his name called. "Adel, come up here to the podium." He made haste over to the Mayor, who chuckled a bit when he saw him. "You again, huh?" He mumbled. Adel simply stood there and remained quiet, becoming nervous of who he'd be paired up with.


	6. Chapter 6

"Next we have Runa." The Mayor said. Adel looked around the room for movement, and suddenly saw a Warrior, holding a long sword, and dressed in iron chainmail with an iron Burgernet helmet over their head to conceal their face, so he had no idea who was behind that mask. Whoever it was, they were particularly quiet. "Third, Kana." Adel heard a gasp, and glanced to his left. The female Thief from before, who had stared at him so intimately was now walking over toward him. The person that gasped was her friend, who was surprised to think she may not be in the same group as her.

As she approached, a distinctive slither in her walk, she came to a stop next to the Warrior, and looked over at Adel, who looked at her, and her red lips curled into a sexy smirk. He blushed, and looked away. She wore a red, sleeveless kimono top, tight-fitting red and gold pants, gold-wrap around sandals with red socks, a purple bandana with a small rope tying five gold medallions around her head, orange gloves with large golden bracelets wrapped around her ivory skin, powdery-blue short hair with matching eyebrows, and deep, purple eyes. She also held not one, but two Dragon's Tails in her hands. She was pretty, he thought, and felt strange to be in the same presence as her.

Adel heard chuckling. He looked over, and saw that rude Archer from before, looking back at him, a pasty grin on his face. The young Mage frowned at him, but he just turned to another Archer next to him, and mumbled something to him, and the two shared a quick laugh. Adel knew he said nothing good about him, and just looked away. Then, the Mayor spoke up to announce the fourth member of their group.

"Finally, for this group, we have... Taki."

"**What!?**" Was the shout that immediately followed. Adel seemed to give a humored smile when he realized who Taki was: the very same Archer who pitied anyone ordered to be on the same team as him.

Taki growled, quite feverishly.

"Come on up here, we haven't got all day." The Mayor said. The Archer growled even louder, walking over to the younger Mage, and just stood in front of him, trying to seem intimidating against him. Adel just turned away. By now, there was nothing to be intimidated of.

"Get down, Fido." Kana said to the instigating Archer. Taki looked over at her and just smirked, before taking a few steps toward her, standing beside her.

"You know, if you weren't so cute, I'd probably be mad." Taki retorted with a confident smile. Kana just gave him a cold stare. She didn't much like his attitude, in fact, she hated it.

"Now, if you four will turn to face me." The Mayor spoke. As instructed, they turned around to face him, and Adel was given a rolled-up map as well as a backpack of supplies he quickly put on. "Since Adel was the first name chosen for this group, he's your designated team leader."

"Oh, come on." Taki grumbled, annoyed.

"This isn't a complaint forum. Either accept your team leader, or go home." The brash Archer just stood there and bit his tongue before saying something he may regret. Instead, he just gave a forced smile, and a nod.

"Good." The Mayor added. "Now, if you open the map, you'll see your designated scouting path." Adel unrolled the map, and the others all took a look at it. Kana and Taki, both being an experienced travelers, immediately recognized the area highlighted for them on the map.

"Mayor, this path... leads straight in the Dungeon." Kana said. Several surprised people in the room mumbled amongst themselves when they heard this.

"Do you have a problem with it?" He replied.

"Well... No, but--"

"Very good." The Mayor interrupted, which she didn't appreciate. "Your path is highlighted for you on the map." Kana then made an advancement to speak up again.

"But, sir, I don't think--"

"**Since** both you, and Taki are experienced fighters, you should have no trouble helping your other two group members deal with the dangers ahead." Kana sighed, and turned away.

'That's an understatement...' She thought to herself.

"Now then, you four are dismissed." The Mayor told them. They all looked at each other, realizing it was futile to argue with the arrogant Mayor. Quietly, the left the room, as he began to assemble another group. Taki, the last one to leave, shut the door quite loudly.

"Well, this **sucks**." He spoke up, obviously quite heated at what just happened.

"Hey, if you don't like it, then leave." Kana quickly snapped at him. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you whine and crap, there's more important things to be done." She then walked off, Adel and Runa quickly followed, while Taki stood there, surprised. He quickly frowned, and ran up to her.

"You know, if you weren't a chick I'd--"

"You'd **what**?!" She spun around and snapped again, leaving her other two group members to feel a bit awkward that there was already a fight between them. "What are you gonna do, **hit** me? Cause I can take you on myself, just try me." He just stood there and didn't give an answer. She scoffed, and walked away again. "Pathetic." She mumbled, Adel and Runa following behind her again, and left Taki to just stand there, injured pride and all.


	7. Chapter 7

After a short while of being in a foul mood, and muttering angrily to herself, Kana finally calmed down. Her two mates that followed her remained awkwardly silent the entire time. Kana let out a deep sigh, plopping down onto a nearby bench, the medallions on her head clinking together. Her two younger companions joined her shortly after. She sighed again, hunching over and letting her head rest on her knees, her dual Dragon's Tails dangling loosely on her fingers.

"I feel like crap." She said, somewhat muffled by the way her face was positioned. The other two looked at each other, not really sure of what to say. She groaned, and sat upright again, placing her weapons on her lap, and took her purple bandana off for a moment, to ruffle her wild, powder-blue hair a bit before replacing it.

"We're not even on this quest for fifteen minutes and I don't know how much I can take anymore." Her companions felt a little disappointed. "First we get split up from our friends, and then that... that idiot of a Mayor sends us off on a mission to the Dungeon. You two have no idea how dangerous it is there." The two felt a little nervous from what she just told them. "And I have to be stuck on a team with a... with a stupid... arrogant, womanizing jerk." Then, she added with much sarcasm, "Yeah, what a great journey this has turned out to be." The three sat there, in much disappointing silence, getting the feeling they may call off this trip any second. Suddenly, they heard a hollow scoffing sound.

Adel and Kana looked over, to see Runa, the warrior, trying to pry their mask off. The young Mage jumped up, and helped the Warrior, pulling hard on the reinforced steel until it suddenly came off, causing him to tumble onto the grass below. His eyes widened at what he saw.

"Man, it was so hot under that thing." Runa, a **female** Warrior, with long, blonde braided pigtails commented. Adel sat there in disbelief. "Thanks for helping me with that. I owe you one." She added with a smile.  
"Uh... You're a girl...?" He asked, still remaining stunned. The two girls looked at each other, then back at him with equal surprise.

"You can talk!?" They both asked him. He blushed slightly, and stood up, holding Runa's helmet.

"Well... yeah. Why?" He asked.

"You've just been so quiet this whole time." Kana replied, then added, with a smirk, "Don't tell me you're shy around girls or something." Adel looked away, and replied.

"I am not, why would I be?" Kana narrowed her eyes, her smirk morphing into a devious smile.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" She asked. Adel groaned loudly, and blushed.

"Well, no." He replied, quietly.

"Ever had a crush on a girl?" She asked, again.

"No." He replied, slightly agitated now.

"Ever even had a girl **as** a friend?" She asked, which would become her final question. Dismally, he replied.

"...No."

"Then you **must** be shy around girls!" She proclaimed, more teasing than anything else. However, he took it a bit personally, dropping Runa's helmet onto her lap and walked off. Kana chuckled, teasingly, as she watched him walk away. Runa felt that the older girl was being a bit cold-hearted with her questions, and ran off after Adel. Her laughing died down once she realized they were both leaving. "Oh, fine." She said to herself, grabbing her weapons and following after them.


	8. Chapter 8

"Adel," Runa said as she approached. "Don't listen to her, she's just making jokes at your expense." Adel stopped at looked over at her, she just smiled.

"Really?" He asked.

"Of course." She replied. "She didn't really mean that stuff." Adel dropped the bad mood, and reflected her smile.

"Okay."

"Come on, guys, we're supposed to be a team." Kana said as she neared. "A three-person team, but a team nonetheless." This would turn out to be her subtle way of apologizing. "Okay?" The other two looked at each other, and back at her.

"I guess we can forgive you." They teased, and walked off. Kana looked at them, confusedly, and then smirked.

"Yeah, I bet you guys think you're so funny." She said, walking beside them.

As they finally began to make their way to the dangerous path toward the Dungeon, a small creature suddenly came out to block their path. Runa let out an ear-piercing scream, and quickly hid behind Adel. Kana and Adel looked at each other, dumbfounded.

"What? It's just a snail." Kana spoke up, and booted the little critter away with ease. She grabbed the small amount of Mesos it had held before it departed.

"I **don't like** bugs. Okay?" She replied, angrily.

"Fine." The older girl shrugged and walked away. "I don't know why you hid behind him anyway. He doesn't even have a weapon." Adel gasped, as he came to that obvious realization.

"I... don't...?" He wondered, looking at both of his empty hands. Kana gave him a reassuring smile as she looked back.

"Come on, we'll go see my friend. She's close by." Adel eagerly followed her, and Runa whimpered slightly, watching her step as she also followed.

Kana knocked on the door of a house a couple dozen yards later. Adel, and the jumpy Runa quickly catching up. The door swung open, and Kana smiled.

"Nemi!" She exclaimed, giving her friend a hug.

"Kana!" The other girl, equally excited, hugged back. "Come in, come in." She stepped back, and the three walked inside the small house, the door closing behind them. "Can I get you guys anything?" She asked, with much enthusiasm.

"Sorry, Nemi, we're not here to stay." Kana replied.

"'Saright. You were always the traveler, Kana. You never stay in the same place for five minutes, even while you sleep."

"Well, that was so my old boyfriends couldn't find me." The two old friends both shared a laugh.

"So, why did you stop by?" She asked, curiously.

"Well I'm on an important quest." She explained. "My new friend needs a Magician weapon." Nemi looked over at Adel, who bowed slightly, in courtesy.

"He's pretty cute." Nemi commented. The three girls in the room shared a collective laugh, which made him feel embarrassed. "Well, I just so happen to have Davi's old staff. I'll go get it." She quickly proceeded into her room, as Kana turned to Adel, giving him one of her trademark smirks. He just pulled his hat down to block her from view, and turned away, grumbling.

Soon after, Nemi returned, holding a long, red staff that flared out at the end in two points, almost like wings. It also had a bright, yellow orb at the top.

"Here you go, cutie." Nemi said to Adel, with a smile. Adel grumbled, though he was thankful as he took the staff from that.

"He hates that." Kana said to her friend.

"I see that." Nemi teased. They all realized it was time for them to be off, so the three thanked the kind Nemi, and walked back to the front door.

"I think I may get to like this group." Kana said to them, and opened the door, only to see a familiar, and unwanted face standing there waiting for them. "Then again..." She added, trailing off. Kana's good mood was ruined, frowning angrily as she walked past Taki.

"Come on, Kana, what the hell are you still mad at me for?" He asked, quickly following her, and in turn, being followed by their other two companions.

"Because I really don't like you, okay?" She replied, still storming off.

"Hey!" He shouted with much authority, which made her stop, and turn her head back to him. "It doesn't matter what **you** care about, what I care about, or what they care about. The fact is, we're **supposed** to be a team, and not supposed to split apart just cause you don't like me." Kana continued to stare at him, recognizing his point, but still refused to be friendly towards him. She sighed deeply, and walked away, casually.

"Let's go..." She said, a bit dismal, but finally, the four of them began to set off on their adventure, as a team.


	9. Chapter 9

The four of them were awkwardly silent as they marched on. Neither Adel nor Kana liked Taki being in their team after the way he treated him, and Runa remained neutral, deciding not to say anything in the fear of starting another war between them. Taki looked over at Adel's new weapon and scoffed.

"Nice Evil Wings." He said. Adel gullibly took that as an honest remark.

"Thanks." Adel replied, quietly.

"Maybe now you won't be a total waste of a life." He added, making Adel feel incredibly bad. And at this point, Kana had enough of him. In a violent attack, she lunged at him, shouting angrily as she slashed at him with her weapons.

"Stop it, **please!**" Runa begged, but got no response. Taki had to block quickly with his tough bow, as Kana's slashing became more frantic. She then hit it so hard, she knocked it out of his hands. She wasted no time lurching at him, knocking him to the ground, and holding one of her daggers at his throat.

"I'm not gonna take this crap from you any longer, and I'll be **damned** if I let you talk that way to my friends." She said, angrily, through gritted teeth. Taki, although initially surprised, suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, which enraged her even further.

"**Shut up!!**" She screamed at him. He quickly stopped, and sneered at her, thrusting his hands forward and forcefully shoved him off of her.

"Get off me." He said, quickly getting to his feet. She sat there, growling like a caged animal. "Your **friends**? You only met them an hour ago."

"Yeah, and they're a hell of a lot nicer than you'll ever be." She spat.

"Nicer..." He retorted, picking up his bow. "I'm in the top ten experienced Archers. I don't need to be **nice** to be a great fighter."

"And I'm one of top **two** female Thieves!" She shouted back, angrily. Taki chuckled as he walked off.

"Girls are weak anyway." He muttered, though clearly audible to the rest of them. Kana was being pushed to her limit.

"What was **that**?" She asked, angrily. He stopped, and turned back.

"You heard me." He responded. "Girls are weak. You should be at home cooking and cleaning. That's all you're pretty much good for." Adel and Runa both watched Kana carefully. They feared that comment would be his last. Kana sat there, holding her head down, so as not to face any of them. As Taki began to walk away again, she pressed one of her daggers into the ground and lifted herself to her feet.

"Kana, please..." Runa begged her not to hurt him. Kana shook her head.

"You're the reason I'm here." She said as she got up. It caused him to stop and turn around again. "All my life, I've had guys tell me, 'You're just a girl, you can't do anything, you'll never be as strong as boys.' So, I promised I would prove them wrong. I trained myself, day and night, following the way of the thief, until I became stronger than them. I proved them wrong, and I made them shut up. And, it felt **good**." Then, she looked up, with a smirk of her own. "And I'm going to prove you wrong, too." She walked over, and pointed the edge of her blade in his face. "You better feel lucky you're my teammate, and not my enemy. Cause if you were, and you said that to me... you'd be **dead**." She punctuated with a cold glare, directly in his eyes, and walked off, feeling better about herself. Taki stood there, and had nothing left to say.


	10. Chapter 10

There was much more silence between the four teammates as the road to the Dungeon became more difficult. The path they followed became dense with roots and vines that made their pace slow down considerably. Kana did her best to clear the way with her Dragon Tails, but there was so much of it.

"Maybe we should take a rest now." Runa suggested.

"Let's just keep moving." Taki spoke. "The sooner we can complete this mission, the better." Kana peered at him with an angry look in her eyes, but he pretended not to notice.

"Watch your step." Kana said, as she hopped down from a large root, and awaited the others to do the same. But as Runa's feet touched the ground, they make a loud squishing sound. The others looked over, as Runa looked down, in disgust.

"Yuck!" She exclaimed.

"What is it?" Adel asked, inspecting the green, viscous liquid.

"I don't--" But before she could finish speaking, the "liquid" made a strange squeaking noise. A pair of large golden eyes appeared in the green liquid which had now taken shape around her leg. Runa turned blue in the face from shock, and suddenly let out a scream that echoed out through the forest. The creature also screamed and panicked from the loud noise, and took off, taking Runa with it.

"Hey, stop!" Adel exclaimed, as he and the others chased after.

"I can't!" She shouted back, hopping on one foot for balance. It was moving incredibly fast for a small being with a person stuck to it. It became too fast for her to handle, and she suddenly lost her footing and fell backwards, and quickly found herself being dragged by the creature. As it took her with it, she began to shout in agony as each rapid hop pulled and twisted her leg. She tried desperately to grab onto passing objects, but nothing seemed to slow it down. Kana knew what all that pulling was doing to her leg, but she knew if she made an attack on it, she may end up hitting Runa, which would make for an even worse situation. Unsurprisingly to her, she looked over and saw Taki notching his arrows as he took aim at the monster.

"No, don't!" She exclaimed, pushing his bow away just as he let loose a dual shot of arrows.

"What are you doing!?" He shouted at her.

"What if you hit her, you idiot!?" She shot back.

"I have good aim, you know!" He, too, shot back.

"A little help would be nice!" Runa shouted to her bickering teammates.

"Well?" Taki asked, looking at Kana to make a move. She let out a deep sigh, and then took a high leap into the air. The two boys watched her soar above them, and then land in front of the monster. Surprised, it stopped in its tracks, which gave the boys just enough time to run up and grab Runa to pull her out its body.

The frightened creature ran off into the forest, as Runa's teammates tended to her. She cried out in pain, holding her leg. Kana knelt by her leg to look at it, despite the fact it was covered in green slime.

"There's no fractures." She said. "Looks like it just got hyperextended a few times." Then, she sighed. "I guess it is a good idea to rest here. It's starting to get dark anyway."

"What?!" Taki exclaimed. "The girl just hurt her leg, she can walk it off!"

"I guess you weren't following what just happened back there!" She shouted. "How about I yank your leg out of the socket a few times!"

"Just try it." He said, threateningly. The two glared angrily at each other before Runa broke it up.

"Please, guys..." She said, quietly. "It's my fault we're slowing down, don't take it out on each other." Adel felt badly that his teammates were fighting amongst each other, but he feared any intervention might somehow escalate the situation. He merely kept quiet.

"It's not your fault, Runa." Kana reassured her. "Maybe things wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't such a damn jerk all the time!" He growled angrily at her.

"How about you stop being such a **bi**--!"

"Please!" Runa exclaimed, interrupting Taki. Her two bickering teammates finally stopped arguing, and turned away from each other.

"You know what," Taki spoke, "if you guys are gonna stay here, I'll just go someplace else, cause I'm **obviously **not wanted here." Then, he picked up his bow and arrows and walked off, without saying another word. The others sighed, depressingly, and all became awkwardly silent once more. Adel wanted to try and help pick up their spirits. So, he knelt over by Runa, and asked her a question she had hoped to hear.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Yes... I'm fine." She looked over and smiled at him. "Thanks."

"No problem." He replied, grinning embarrassedly. Kana smiled as she looked at him, before she sighed again, a bit happier than before.

"Well, I guess we should set up camp here for tonight." She said. "I'll set up a campfire, and then we can finally get some rest."

"How long will my leg take to heal?" Runa asked.

"I'm sure by tomorrow morning it should be all right." She replied, which relieved the younger girl.

"Is it safe to set up a camp here?" Adel asked, looking around, cautiously. Kana stood up and smirked at them.

"You have me here, don't you?" The others laughed for a bit before turning their attention to their sleeping arrangements. In the pack of supplies the Mayor gave them, were blankets and pillows for each of them. Kana opted to give Runa Taki's pillow to rest her leg on, which she was thankful for. It wasn't long before they were settling in for the night.


	11. Chapter 11

The campfire crackled and popped quietly, sending tiny cinders into the air. Runa had already fallen asleep, her helmet resting on the ground beside her. Kana was seated upon her blanket as she stared blankly at the fire, as she calmly thought to herself. She wasn't much of a sleeping person, anyway, as she always kept herself in a state of constant readiness. Adel looked over at her, wondering what she was thinking about. He wondered if she was thinking about their mission, or perhaps Taki, or maybe it was something more. Kana smiled as she glanced over at him, catching the whites of his eyes. He tried to play it off by quickly shutting his eyes, but she wasn't fooled.

"You can't sleep either?" She asked. He just sighed, and opened his eyes again.

"It's the first time I've been away from home like this." He replied. "Even my Magician exams didn't require me to leave my home for more than a day." She turned and looked to the starry, night sky.

"I understand." She said. "But I've been traveling for as long as I can remember. I never really had a place I could call home for long."

"Oh..." He uttered, almost depressingly. She laughed softly.

"Don't worry about it." She turned to him with a grin on her face. "It doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I kind of like always getting to explore new places."

"What about your friend we met?"

"She's just a friend. I don't stay with her besides the times I visit."

"I see..." Then, a rather long yawn escaped his lips. "Sorry..."

"It's all right." She quickly replied. "You're tired. And I don't want to keep you up."

"What about you?"

"You don't have to worry about me." She replied with another smile. "I'm fine."

"Well, if you say so..." Then, he sunk down further into his pillow. "Goodnight, Kana."

"Goodnight, Adel." He soon closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep as she merely smiled and sighed, almost happily, turning her attention back to the endless orange-red roll of the dancing fire before her.

Several hours passed, Runa and Adel were sleeping peacefully under Kana's watchful eye. But, her eyes were also becoming heavy with exhaustion. She'd never met such an infuriating person to her than Taki, and she blamed him for her being so tired. He was capable of pushing her to the limits of her sanity, and she believed he knew that. She rested her head on her knee and sighed. Without Taki, though, she was the only experienced one of the three, and would have to look after them constantly. She wasn't sure she was up to that task, she thought, as she glanced over at the two sleeping young travelers.

Then, she caught the faint sound of a twig snapping. She immediately leaped to her feet, grabbing one of her Dragon's Tails which were always at her side.

"Relax." Came a quiet, familiar voice. Out of shadows, Taki stepped toward her, and she sighed, letting her guard drop.

"Why did you even bother coming back?" She asked, keeping her voice low. He looked away for a moment, and pondered the question in his mind before turning back to her.

"I don't really know." He answered with a nonchalant shrug. "I just... felt like it, I guess."

"Isn't that what you said last time?" She asked, sitting back down on her blanket. He sat down on his own blanket, which he was surprised to see laid out.

"No, last time I said we needed to stick together." He replied with a smirk of irony.

"And do you still feel that way?" Taki looked over at his two sleeping comrades, and chuckled softly.

"You know you're the one with all the responsibilities when I'm not around." Kana almost blushed, feeling as though he read her thoughts, yet she figured it had to be obvious to him as well.

Taki looked directly at her, watching her eyes hang low as she tried to fight off slumber.

"If you're tired, why don't you sleep?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I can't." She replied, calmly.

"Why not?" She then turned at him with a look of complete seriousness.

"How do I even know I can trust you?" She asked. He shrugged, uncaring.

"If you don't want to trust me, you can fall behind when we continue on our path in the morning," he replied. She just sighed, realizing just how right he was.

"All right." She quietly answered, taking the bandana off her head, and placing it beside her as she sank into her pillow, which, at that point, was heavenly for her. She was still wary of Taki, as she found him to be a loose cannon. She opened an eye at looked at him. He quietly placed his bow at his side, and stretched out at bit before laying down on the soft blanket. "You're not going to sleep, are you?" She asked, exhaustion had become apparent in her voice.

"Of course not." He quickly replied. "I don't sleep much as it is." Kana looked away. She hated to admit it, but she and Taki had many things in common. "And anyway, I don't have a pillow."

"I gave it to Runa for her leg." She answered.

"It's cool. Like I said, I'm not sleeping anyway." It seemed, as much as she didn't like it, she would have to depend on him to watch over her and the others. She just hoped he wouldn't fall asleep on the job.


	12. Chapter 12

Late at night, in a dark alley, dimly lit by the flickering lights on the brick wall, a young girl with powder-blue hair pants heavily as her feet stamp the pavement. A look of worry is on her face as she runs toward a specific destination, weaving in and out of the maze of alleys, ducking through broken fences, and jumping over dumpsters. While she runs through, there are many eyes silently watching her from the shadows, though they had no intention of advancing on her. Suddenly, as she turns another corner, she hears a familiar voice, and hides behind a trash can, peering slowly from it.

She watches a young man standing from a distance. He talks to a much older man she'd never seen before, but would soon become more familiar with him that she would expect.

"I told you I don't have it just yet." The young man spoke.

"That's too bad, Kira." His acquaintance replied, putting a hand on his shoulder, and flashed a sinister grin. "I thought we'd be the best of friends, too." Just then, a Steely knife emerged from the man's long-sleeved coat, and in a swift movement, cut the neck of the young man before him. The girl's eyes went wide with terror as she watched him fall to the ground, but not before reaching weakly for the man's collar, but missed, as he calmly stepped back from his reach. As his body hit the ground with a thud, the man calmly put the Steely away, brushed some dirt off his sleeve and walked off into the night. The girl rushed over to the young man, tears had already begun pouring from her eyes. She shook him several times, whimpering as she realized it was too late. She broke down and cried before him, clinging tightly to his lifeless body as the blood trickled away from his neck.

"Please don't go, Kira!" She exclaimed through her sobbing. "**Please don't go!!**"

Kana awoke suddenly with a soft gasp, to the sound of several twigs snapping in the distance. She sat up quickly, a few strands of her powder-blue hair fell over her face.

"Something's here." She said, quietly. Taki nodded, his eyes fixated at the source of the noise, somewhere inside the dense trees. He calmly reached for his bow, and making sure his arrows were not far from reach. Kana also grabbed one of her Dragon's Tails and gripped it tightly, trying to shake off the aftershock she felt from her dream. It felt a little too real for her, just like the night it happened. It was something her mind couldn't escape, no matter how hard she tried, she would never forget. For the moment, she stayed focused on protecting herself and her friends from possible danger.

As the sound of twigs breaking became increasingly louder, Kana slowly crept over to Adel, blindly nudging him gently a few times with her elbow as she kept her eyes focused on that particular area. He stirred and groaned softly, opening his eyes to see her knelt before him, and her weapon in hand.

"What's going on?" He groggily asked, with concern.

"Don't know yet." She replied softly. "Wake up Runa." He nodded and turned to the girl, gently shaking her with one hand as he grabbed his Evil Wings with the other. She also awoke with a groan.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Time to get up." He told her. She looked up and saw the night sky.

"But why are we waking up so early?" Then she looked at her comrades, with their weapons in hand, and put it all together. "...Oh." She added and grabbed her sword.

The four of them knelt by their campfire, tensely watching the area where the constant sound of rustling leaves and breaking twigs came from. Adel and Runa, being inexperienced in battle, were extremely nervous and scared of what they could be facing. And it didn't make things any better when the noise suddenly stopped, leaving the group in complete silence. Kana and Taki's attuned ears listened in every direction, but weren't hearing any noise anywhere. Taki became agitated, after being prepared for battle that whole time, and have nothing happen. He scoffed angrily, tossing his bow onto the ground. The others figured it was fine since Taki was no longer paying attention. They dropped their guard and breathed a sigh of relied. Adel opened his mouth, and yawned quite loudly, which suddenly brought out their attackers from the woods who heard it, and charged at the four travelers.


	13. Chapter 13

"Wild Boar!" Taki exclaimed, each of the travelers kept in shock. "Defend yourselves!" He called out, each of them quickly raising their weapons to guard. Four Wild Boar charged at each of the team members, and each one stopped in their tracks by the team's tough weapons. Adel was having the hardest time holding his Boar back. His arms felt weak, not only from being shocked awake, but the fact he was scared of the angered beast before him. The Boar's snorted and growled at the team, trying to push into the weapons used to hold them back, and twisting their tusks around in hopes of stabbing their hands and dislodging the weapons.

Taki was becoming angered by the situation. He had taken down Wild Boar in the past, and the fact he was having trouble with just one set him off. He yelled in anger, before shoving his bow off the creature, and kicking it with enough force to knock it onto its back. He quickly used the free moment to notch an arrow and aim at the Boar Kana was holding back, so that, together, they could get rid of the rest. Just then, Adel shouted, the Boar he was struggling with charged forward suddenly and knocked him down, preparing to attack the young boy.

"Damn it!" Taki shouted, switching his aim from Kana's Boar to Adel's. And as he was preparing to shoot, his own Boar suddenly recollected itself, and charged with extreme force into Taki's side. The Archer shouted in pain from the attack, before he was sent flying several yards away from the impact.

"Taki!!" Kana exclaimed, looking over at him as he slid to a stop. She watched the Boar start to close in on him, and she growled with frustration. She knew she had to do something quick or else Adel and Taki would be killed. She reached into a small pouch she kept at her hip, and took out a sharpened, throwing knife. She grit her teeth, and swiftly stabbed the Boar in front of her in the eye, causing it to screech in pain, and back off.

The Boar's were about to go for the eyes of their prey, out of sheer instinct, and Adel and Taki were helpless to defend. Kana dashed toward Adel, grabbing the Boar beside him by its wiry hair, and then throwing the several-hundred pound beast into a nearby tree with a loud shout of effort. The sound of the Boar crashing into the tree with a screech distracted Taki's Boar, and Kana used the distraction to send her Dragon's Tail flying at the Boar in a spinning motion. Before it returned to Kana's hands like a boomerang, it slashed the throat of Taki's Boar, which promptly fell over, lifelessly.

Runa, realizing all the others were safe, felt confidence sweep through her. She frowned at the Boar before her, shoving it away with her sword before, raising the weapon over her head.

"Hyaaaaaa!" She cried out as she sent the blade straight down to the Boar, but was shocked when it swiftly avoided the attack, and prepared to dive at her. Runa winced in fear, when suddenly, the Boar yelped, and fell over, a second throwing knife lodged in its side. The young girl breathed a sigh of relief and looked over at Kana, who smiled.

"Always keep a spare." She said, walking over to her knife and pulling it out of the beast.

"That was too close." Runa said, happy that her comrades were mostly unharmed. She then gasped, as she saw Kana's hand as she went for the knife. "Your hand... it's all cut up." Kana opened her hand and inspected the wound, which she realized must have occurred when she grabbed the Boar's sharp hairs. She didn't think much of it, and gave Runa a reassuring smile.

"It's just a flesh wound." She replied. "I'll be all right." She then turned her focus to Taki, walking over and kneeling beside him, without touching him with her bloodied hands.

"You okay?" She asked. He got to his hands and knees with a grunt, staring down at his bow beneath him before clenching it angrily in his hands.

"Just... shut up." He strained somewhat to speak, his chest feeling sore from the impact. He shakingly got to his feet, before shouting in pain, dropping onto his seat and holding his ribs.

"Let me try to help." She said, calmly.

"I don't need your damn help!" He snapped, angrily, before staring at his bow again and gritting his teeth. 'Why the hell couldn't I beat that pathetic Boar?' He thought. 'If I wasn't distracted by my weak team I would've been able to take it out with ease... I shouldn't have even bothered helping them. Now, look what happens. My ribs hurt like hell, and the others barely get a damn scratch...'

"If I never would've bothered helping you weaklings I could've killed that Boar with one shot." He added, spitefully.

"Weaklings!?" Kana exclaimed. "You had just as much trouble fighting one Boar just like the rest of us!"

"I kill Wild Boar for sport!" He shot back. "You've probably never fought one for real!"

"Then how did I kill every one of them while you killed none!?" She yelled. He grit his teeth angrily, looking at her with such a fiery temper.

"...Because I didn't kill them first." He replied, cockily. Kana fumed, clenching her fists.

"I can't believe how damn selfish you're being!" She shouted. "I just saved your life and all you do is act like an asshole!"

"I don't care what you think of me." He said, getting to his feet once more. He took a deep breath, ignoring the pain, and let it out in a loud sigh. "I never cared. So just shut up and leave me alone. Go babysit the children for a while." Then, he turned his back and walked off.

"So what are you going to do now!?" She shouted at him as he continued to walk away. "Tell us you're never coming back and then showing your face again for the hundredth time!?"

"I'm not going to lie, I'll be back." He replied, calmly. "I just need to get away from you for a while." Kana grit her teeth with intense rage.

'That pompous ass!' She shouted in her mind. 'He thinks he so damn great, tells us we're all weak and then says he's coming back like we need him or something. I'm really getting sick of him...'

"Kana..." Runa spoke softly. The older girl sighed and turned calmly to her. "Please don't get angry. I really don't like when you two fight." She looked away for a moment, a guilty look on her face, before turning back.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Oh man, Kana..." Adel suddenly spoke up. "Your hands." Kana looked down at her hands, which were nearly covered in blood, gently dripping off her fingertips. Clenching her fists in anger didn't help the injuries on her hands.

"Crap, that's not good..." She muttered. "I should probably get some cloth and--"

"No, wait." Adel interrupted her. He coyly walked up to her and held her hands in his own, leaving her confused. He blushed somewhat, not quite used to holding a girl's hands. "Let me try something." He then closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts to her hands. They were soon enveloped in a mysterious blue light, and Kana gasped. Within a few seconds, the light dimmed, and Adel opened his eyes with a smile. Kana turned her palms toward her and was shocked to see they were completely healed.

"That's amazing, Adel!" She exclaimed. Adel played it off as though it were no big deal, blushing a bit more. She smiled and gave him a thankful kiss on the cheek, which only amplified his blushing. "Just make sure you don't do Taki any favors and heal him."

"Oh... okay..." Adel replied, disheartened by the comment. Kana sighed and looked over in the direction Taki had disappeared to.

'Taki, why do you have to be so self-centered all the time?' She thought. 'Don't you realize we're your friends?' The morning sun began to peek from behind the horizon, and it was time to start a new day of adventuring on their long, winding road.


End file.
